HELPING TO CLEAN UP OUR COAST AND COUNTRYSIDE
My latest litter pick was part of a community event for 'Plastic Free Watchet'. Many towns and villages across the country are working towards becoming 'Plastic Free' as part of campaign run by marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage. Watchet is not alone in West Somerset by having this status. Minehead and Porlock Vale have also received this award with Exmoor soon to join them.
My wife Netta and I took our own equipment along and started as soon as we got out of the car as there was plenty of litter there. Once that was tidy, we walked up to West Beach to see what had been left or washed up there. We found the usual drinks cans and plastic bottles, lots of other plastic, a heavy piece of material, a plastic sandal and a couple of glass bottles. There was also a piece of branch with lots of fishing line tangled up with some bird deterrent spikes which could have been dangerous to both wildlife and humans. At the top of the beach below the sea wall, our time was taken up by picking up cigarette butts which had been dropped over the wall by smokers who are oblivious to the harm these cause to sea life. As well as plastic, cigarette filters are comprised of thousands of chemical ingredients including arsenic, lead and nicotine. These are very toxic to fish could easily see a cigarette butt floating around in the sea as potential food. Once we left the beach, we walked through the town to the group meeting point at Splash Point. Again, there was plenty of litter to collect on our way including lots more cigarette butts, especially outside licensed premises. The photo above shows another litter source being an overfilled wheelie bin. Being a Sunday lunchtime, it probably wasn't even collection day. Seagulls and weather could help scatter this rubbish around the streets. Businesses can easily do their bit to make their local area more attractive to potential customers by having a tidy up outside their premises each day as they open up. A good business model is Belsize Village NW3 who noticed how footfall had fallen drastically and businesses were closing down. The community got together and tidied the area up, organised better refuse collections and recycling, planters were put along the square with plenty of seating added. It is now considered to be the tidiest area in London and new businesses have filled the area which now boasts having London's first 'Streatery'. Back to Watchet, around twenty people joined in the clean up event with everything which was collected being recycled where possible. The event ended with a community picnic, plastic free, of course!
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AuthorBorn in West Somerset, I have always been proud of where I live and want everyone else to enjoy it too! Archives
September 2022
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